Barack Obama

President of the United States

Barack Hussein Obama II August 4, 1961 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

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January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017

44th president of the United States "Barack" and "Obama" redirect here. For other uses, see Barack (disambiguation), Obama (disambiguation), and Barack Obama (disambiguation). Barack ObamaOfficial portrait, 201244th President of the United StatesIn office January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017Vice President Joe BidenPreceded by George W. BushSucceeded by Donald TrumpUnited States Senator from IllinoisIn office January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008Preceded by Peter FitzgeraldSucceeded by Roland BurrisMember of the Illinois Senate from the 13th districtIn office January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004Preceded by Alice PalmerSucceeded by Kwame Raoul Personal detailsBornBarack Hussein Obama II (1961-08-04 ) August 4, 1961 (age 60) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.Political partyDemocraticSpouse(s)Michelle Robinson ​(m. 1992 )​Children Malia Sasha Parents Barack Obama Sr. Ann Dunham RelativesFamily of Barack ObamaResidenceKalorama (Washington, D.C.)EducationPunahou SchoolAlma materColumbia University (BA)Harvard University (JD)OccupationPoliticianlawyerauthorAwardsList of honors and awardsSignatureWebsiteOfficial website Obama Foundation White House Archives This article is part of a series about Barack Obama Political positions Electoral history Early life and career Family Public image Honors Pre-presidency Illinois State Senator 2004 DNC keynote address U.S. Senator from Illinois sponsored bills 44th President of the United States Presidency timeline Transition Inaugurations first second Policies Economy Energy Foreign policy Europe East Asia Middle East South Asia Obama Doctrine foreign trips Pardons Social Space Appointments Cabinet Judges First term First 100 days Recovery Act Russia nuclear treaty Affordable Care Act Dodd–Frank Iraq withdrawal Killing of Osama bin Laden Libya intervention Afghanistan withdrawal Benghazi attack Timeline '09 '10 '11 '12 Second term Anti-ISIL campaign Iraq Syria Iran deal Cuban thaw Sanctions against Russia Selma 50th anniversary speech Obergefell v. Hodges Paris Agreement Kunduz hospital airstrike Failed nomination of Merrick Garland Timeline '13 '14 '15 '16–'17 Presidential campaigns 2008 primaries convention debates election 2012 primaries convention debates election reactions Post-presidency Planned presidential library Obama Foundation One America Appeal Dreams from My Father The Audacity of Hope A Promised Land Nobel Peace Prize Others Thanks, Obama vte Barack Hussein Obama II (/b ə ˈ r ɑː k h uː ˈ s eɪ n oʊ ˈ b ɑː m ə / ( listen ) bə-RAHK hoo-SAYN oh-BAH -mə; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the United States. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004. Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. After graduating from Columbia University in 1983, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago. In 1988, he enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. After graduating, he became a civil rights attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Turning to elective politics, he represented the 13th district in the Illinois Senate from 1997 until 2004, when he ran for the U.S. Senate. Obama received national attention in 2004 with his March Senate primary win, his well-received July Democratic National Convention keynote address, and his landslide November election to the Senate. In 2008, a year after beginning his campaign, and after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton, he was nominated by the Democratic Party for president. Obama was elected over Republican nominee John McCain in the general election and was inaugurated alongside his running mate, Joe Biden, on January 20, 2009. Nine months later, he was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Obama signed many landmark bills into law during his first two years in office. The main reforms include: the Affordable Care Act (ACA or "Obamacare"), although without a public health insurance option; the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; and the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 served as economic stimuli amidst the Great Recession. After a lengthy debate over the national debt limit, he signed the Budget Control and the American Taxpayer Relief Acts. In foreign policy, he increased U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, reduced nuclear weapons with the United States–Russia New START treaty, and ended military involvement in the Iraq War. He ordered military involvement in Libya for the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1973, contributing to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. He also ordered the military operation that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden. After winning re-election by defeating Republican opponent Mitt Romney, Obama was sworn in for a second term in 2013. During this term, he promoted inclusion for LGBT Americans. His administration filed briefs that urged the Supreme Court to strike down same-sex marriage bans as unconstitutional (United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges); same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide in 2015 after the Court ruled so in Obergefell. He advocated for gun control in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, indicating support for a ban on assault weapons, and issued wide-ranging executive actions concerning global warming and immigration. In foreign policy, he ordered military interventions in Iraq and Syria in response to gains made by ISIL after the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq, promoted discussions that led to the 2015 Paris Agreement on global climate change, oversaw and ultimately apologized for the deadly Kunduz hospital airstrike, continued the process of ending U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan in 2016, initiated sanctions against Russia following the invasion in Ukraine and again after interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, brokered the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran, and normalized U.S. relations with Cuba. Obama nominated three justices to the Supreme Court: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were confirmed as justices, while Merrick Garland faced partisan obstruction from the Republican-majority Senate led by Mitch McConnell, which never held hearings or a vote on the nomination. Obama left office in January 2017 and continues to reside in Washington, D.C. During Obama's terms as president, the United States' reputation abroad, as well as the American economy, significantly improved. Obama's presidency has generally been regarded favorably, and evaluations of his presidency among historians, political scientists, and the general public frequently place him among the upper tier of American presidents.